Check board for games



Aug. 14, 1945. w. c. DURKIN I 2,382,005 A CHECK-BOARD 'FOR GAMES Aug. 14, 1945. w. c. DURKIN 2,382,005

CHECK- BOARD FOR GAMES Patented Aug. 14, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE CHECK BOARD Fon GAMES William c. Durkin, Niagara Falls, N. Y.`

Application December 10, 1942, Serial No. 468,593 7" claims.l (c1. 11e-'120) This invention relates to a check-board for games, and although it is particularly designed for that purpose, it may be used y,Wherever a limited number of identifying characters or numbers are to be checked as called or recorded, or after 'being called or recorded. f

This invention is particularly Adesigned for use in connection with games, such as lotto, bingo, or other games in which numbers, characters, words, names, or the like are employed in playing the game and in which a pluralityof suchidentifying characters 'areA required to be called or fre-f corded, in determining the winner ofthe" game; the check-board being employedY to determine whether the player alleged to have Won the game has met all requirements of a winner.

In lotto, bingo, and other games, players are provided with cards bearing numbers and by suitable means such'numbers are drawnI by one of the players or some other person and announced so that the players having such numbers von their cards may mark, cover, or otherwise designate the called numbers appearing on their cards. When all the numbers on a cardare designated by a player on his card or one of his cards as having been called, 'he announces himselfas the winner. or when a certain row of numbers on a card is so designated by a playerand he announces himself as the Winner,'the player or other person calling the numbers announces the game completed. At this point of the game it is necessary to check the players card to ascertain whether-an error has been made by the player announcing himself as the winner, and various means have been provided for so checking the game.

This invention is of the type in which a checkboard is provided wherein character-'bearing elements are employed, usually elements bearing numbers, and these aremanually actuated to display the numbers called. The winners card is then checked to ascertain whether all of the numbers enabling him to announce himself vas the winner of numbers which have been called are correct, and if the presumed Winning card checks with the numbers displayed on the check-board, such player is .conceded to be the winner of the game.

In order to prepare the check-board for another game, all offthe actuated character or' numberbearing elements are then collectively returned to their normal positions, 'in Whichthe blank sides of such elements face the players,

It is the object of my invention to provide an improved check-board of` the type mentioned wherein the character or number-bearing elements are actuated in the order inwhich numbers are called by a checker or announcer, who

may be one of the players or some individual not engaged in playing the game, and whereby after a sufcient number of the character or numberbearing elements are actuated to enable some player to announce himself as the Winner and his card is checked, the player announcing himself the winner may be declared as such, and all actuated character or 'number-bearing elements may be simultaneously returned to normal position. Y

A further object of my invention is to provide a simple and practical check-board which can be operated quicklyl and accurately and by means of which errors in announcing the winner will bc fully avoided, in view of the fact that each player Will be able to check the wlnners card from the numbers displayed on the Acheck-board as his winning numbers are announced. Y

My invention also has for its object to provide novel means for retaining the character or number-bearing elements in their normal positions while permitting individual actuation or manipulation of the same under slight force manually applied thereto. l l

Other objects of my invention will appear from the detailed description to follow.

With the above-mentioned and other objects in View, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be described hereinafter and morev particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of my improved check-- board. f l I Fig. 2 is an end View of the same, viewed from the left as shown in Fig. '1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear View of a portion cf the check-beard.

011 line 8 8,

Fig. l is a perspective view of a portion of a gear-rack assembly. Now particularly describing the invention, II designates the frame of the check-board which has end uprights or standards I2 and horizontal connector-members I3 spaced apart to provide a vertical series of spaces or sections III,l in each of which is arranged a supplemental frame structure I5, which I more particularly designate as a plate-- frame. Each plateframe is formed of horizontal members I6 spaced apart and connected together by vertical members I'I, which I prefer to term plate-separating elements, dividing the plate- A,

frame into plate-receiving openings I8. The up'- per horizontal member I-6 of each plate-frame lies in contact with the underside of the connector-l member I3 directly above, while the lower horizontal member lies against the upper side ofthe receiving openings a number-bearing plate is pivotally arranged and as best shown in Fig. 9 these plates are formed of sheet-metal having vertical and horizontal dimensions slightly less than the plate-receiving openings I8 in the .plate-frames. Each plate has pivots or stub-shafts 20, one eX- tending upwardly from its upper edge and the other downwardly from its lower edge. These pivots or stub-shafts are vertically alined on each plalte and disposed midwa'y betweenthe vertical edges of the plate and they are journaled in the horizontal members I6 of the plate-frames I5. With this in mind the upper horizontal member of each plate-frame is notched along its lower face, as at 2l, and in each notch a bearing 22 is tted which is to receive the upper pivot or stubshaft of a number-platey I9. As clearly shown in Fig. 5, this bearing has side flanges 23 which' bear against one side of the horizontal member into which the bearing is fitted and thisv bear-l i ing is fastened in place by screw-bolts 24 which are passed through said flanges and through said horizontal member. The lower pivot or stubshaft 20 of each number-bearing plate I9 is journaled in the lower horizontal member I6 of the plate-frame I5 with which such plate is associated and, if desired, bearings similar to the bearingv22 may be provided for said lower horizontal member, although not so shown. If such bearings are 'provided they may be in the form of stepbearings.

It will be apparent therefore that each numberbearing plate is pivotally mounted in a plate-receiving opening of a plate-frame and that all number-bearing plates are rotatable within their respective plate-frames. The number-bearing plates employed in this check-board are preferably numbered consecutively from one to any desired higher number, since `these numbers may vary in range in diiferent games.

In the'drawings I have shown four sections I4 arranged in vertical serieswiththe number `one starting at one end ofthe uppermost section and the number forty-eight ending at one end of the lowermost section. Consequently this checkboard is arranged for games in which numbers from one to forty-eight are used. Thesenumbers are painted or otherwise applied to onelof the sides of the number-bearing plates and no1-y mally face rearwardly so that the blank sides of the panels face the players.

In Fig. 1, I have shown several of the numbers in dotted lines and reversed, indicating that they are facing to the front of the check-board. 'I'herefore, in the game being played, these are the numbers which have been called. Assuming the game of bingo is being played and that such numbers are suflicient to enable a player to check or cover a row of numbers on his card, he declares himself bingo It will 'be understood that such numbers have been turned to face the players and that the remaining numbers are still facing rearwardly. It is also to be understood that the plates bearing the numbers in dotted lines in Fig. 1 have. been manually and individually rotated through an arc of a circle o-f degrees and that lthe numbers so facing the players will enable the lplayers to check the numbers on the declarants card to ascertain whether or not a mistake has been made by the declarant in checking his numbers. If it is conceded that the numbers checked on the players card are all found on the plates facing the players, th'e game is considerednished anda new game started.

Preparatory to starting a new game, the actuated` plates having their numbers facing forward must be -returned to their normal positions, in which they face rearwardly, and this is accomplished by mechanism to be' presently described. I wish to stress the fact that when the plates have their numbers facing rearwardly, they are retained in such positions by means of retainerpins 25 slidable in the bearings 22. These retainer pins have rounded inner ends 26 which are springpressed into cavities or depressions 21 formed in the upper pivots or stub-shafts 20 of the plates;

such cavities or depressions conforming to th'e.

rounded ends of the retainer-pins. These retainer-pins are held in their innermost positions by at springs 28 fastened to one of the flanges 23 of the'A bearings 22 and bear against the outer ends of the retainer-pins so as to prevent `accidental rotation of the plates. Slight pressure applied olf-center to a plate'bearing a number called will lrelease the retainer-pin associated with such plate by reason of the flat spring 25 yielding to such force; and under th'e force so applied, the rounded end of the retainer pin is caused to move out of its cavity or depression in the pivot or stubshaft 20, with the result that the inner end of .the pin will ride on lthe peripheral surface of said pivot or stub-shaft 20.

When the number-bearing plates are in normal or character-hidden position and the retainerpins 25 are, entered in the cavities or depressions of the upper pivots or stub-shafts or said plates, the marginal portion of each plate at one side of its center is in contact with a stop 29, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. This stopvis formed of sheetmetal bent in Z-formation in cross section and fastened to one of the plate-separating elements I'I. rWhen a, number is called, the announcer or checker-will press against the platebearing th'e number called and by exerting the necessary force in the direction of the arrow 30 in Fig. 8, cause rotation of said plate until its opposite marginal portion contacts the stop 29.

4Loosely mounted on the lower pivot or stubshaft of each plater I9 is a gear-wheel 3|. These gear-wheels rest upon the lower horizontal mem'- bers I6 of 'the plate-frames I5 and each is provided at one side'of its axis with' an upstanding plate-actuating'pin 32. In order to provide a compact structure, each gear-wheelis recessed in its upper face, as at 33, and theplate-actuating P11132 is arranged in this. recess, rising from its bottom. wall and having its Yupper end level with the upper edge of the-rim of the gear-wheel.

Each number-bearing plate I9 has a, depending l stop-lug 34 at one side of its lower pivot or stubshaft and this stop lug extends into the recess 33 ofthe gear-wheel loosely mounted Aon said pivot or stub-shaft and is adapted to be normally positioned at that side of the axis of the numberbearing plate opposite the actuating-pin, asbest shown in Fig. 8.

From the foregoing itwill be clear that the number-bearing plates are arranged in a vertical series of horizontal rows. Meshing with the gear-Wheels associated with each horizontal row Io1 number-bearing plates is a battery oftgearracks 35, or what may be termed a gear-assembly,

Aone ygear-rack of each' battery or assembly being 'gear-racks are Vguided for movement in suitable guidesior slideways 31 which hold said gear-racks `in'mesh with said gear-wheels and at the same time guide said gear-racks in their movements.

`'The gear-racks 35 at the end of each battery or assembly, the right-hand end gear-rack in the drawing, is connected by means of a rod 38 with an actuator gear-rack 39. It isto be noted that the gear-racks 35 in mesh with the gear-wheels 3| have their teeth facing inwardly, while the actuator gear-rack 39 has its teeth facing outwardly. Y

In `the drawings I have shown four horizontal 'rows of number-bearing plates and consequently `four horizontal rows of gear-wheels. Each gearrack assembly 35 is therefore associated with a horizontal row of gear-wheels3I and associated therewith is an actuating gear-rack 39 which is positioned in rear of one of the end standards -oruprights I2. Secured to said'standard or upl rightv are shaftbearings 40 and 4I in which is Ljournaled a shaft 42 disposed at aI right-angle to the gear-rack assemblies `35 and on this shaft, in mesh with the actuating gear-racks 39, are actuating gear-wheels 43 adapted, upon being rotated, to cause movement of said actuating gearracks and by reason of their connection withfthe gear-rack assemblies 35,'tl1e latter are moved at certain` times and under certain conditions, as will appear hereinafter.. The shaft 42 extends downwardly through the lower bearing 4I and lhas an operating handle 44 secured thereto. vThis handle may be of any desired. form or construction,.but I have provided one which comprses a rod or stem 45 having a socket 46 at one Aend thereof disposed at a right-angle to the rod or stem 45` for thepurpose of receiving the shaft 42. VSaid socket is securedto the shaft in any approved manner and at its upper end has a laterally-offset stop 41 whose opposite ends are adapted to contact the adjacent upright or standard I2.

It might here be stated that the guides or slideways 31 are formed of sheet-metal `fashioned to conform to the cross-sectional formation of the gear-racks 35 which they receive and guide and that each of these guides or slideways is fastened to the lower horizontal member I6 of a plateframe by means of screws 48.V Normally the handle'and gear-racks are inthe position shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 8 and when starting a game the `blanl-r sides of all number-bearing plates face 'theplayers All numbers on the plates normally` face rearwardly or in an opposite direction.l 'With the plates in such positions, which may also be Atermed their character-hidden positions, the right-hand marginal portions ofthe numbered sides of the plates bear `against the front faces` of the panel-stops 29, as clearly `shown inFig. 8. The upstanding plate-actuating pins 3,2 of said gear-wheels 3| are at the left of the axes of said-gear-wheels while the depending stop-lugs 24 are at the right side of said axes, as`clearly shown in full lines in Fig. 8. The handle 44 extends to the left of the actuator shaft 42 `and yone end of the-laterally offset stop 41 isin contact with the right-hand standard or upright of the frame.

Numbered elements may-now be drawn from a container and called as drawn, or numbers may otherwise be selected by one of the players or any lperson acting in the capacity of announcer or checker.r All numbers drawn will, of course, be within the range of numbers shown on the check board and as they are announced, the person attending to the check-board rotates the plate I9 bearing the announced number so as to cause it to swing through an arc of a circle of degrees. This causes the left-hand marginal portion of the plate to swing into contact with'the plate-stop 29 extending into the plate-receiving opening I8 of the thus actuated plate andA the stopV lug 34 of said plate to swing into contact with the upstanding actuating-pin 32 of the associated gear-wheel 3|. As other numbers 'are called, the announcer or checker swings the several plates bearing the announced numbers in a like `manner.V Thus the" plates actuated in `this manner will have the numbers facing forwardly or toward the players, which may be termed character-displaying positions. asr shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Such action is continued` until y.some player announces himself as the winner by reasonof having checked or covered a card ora line on a card bearing some of the numbers then facing the players. It is, ofcourse, understood that all numbers on plates not reversed Yremain in normal or character-hidden position and face rearwardly. At this time the numbers of the an'- f nounced winner are checked with the numbers `facing forwardly on the check-board and if all numbers on the winners card, or'in the line of lii'scardA supposed to be oovered'orchecked, arefound"correct, olcial declaration of the winner is made and the check-board is arranged for a new game. Thisis accomplished by swingingthe handle 44"shown in Figs. I and 3, to the right until 'the opposite end ofthe handle-stop 41 'strikes the upright I2; such 'movement causing rotation of the shaft and consequently of the actuating gear-wheels 43, which' in 'turn' by rea- Vsonoi' their meshing with the gear-racks 39 cause the latter and all gear-racks 35 slidably mounted on the check-board to move `toward the left. This results `in rotationof the gear-wheelsl clockwise, as indicated by the arrow in Fig.

plates being swung into normal or :character- I hidden position, which `is that shown in Fig. :8;

4lit is, ofcourse, to be understood that all plates not manually actuated as described, will result in idle movement of their associated gear-wheels forthereason that their upstanding actuating pins merely travel from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 8` to that shown in dotted lines vand without being in contact with the depending stop lugs of their associated plates. The nonactuated plates therefore remain undisturbed. After this cycle of the movement of the gearracks and gear-Wheels, all .actuated plates will have been returned to normal .position and all vplates lWhether actuated or not will have their numbered sides facing rearwardly; the entire front of the check-board which faces the players being blank. After such setting of the plates, the announcer or checker again swings the handle from right to left with the result that through the medium of the shaft 32, actuating gearwheels 43, and actuating gear-racks 39, the several gear-rack assemblies are moved to the right,

vpins being held in the depressions or cavities 21 formed in the upper pivots or stub-shafts 20. It will be apparent from the foregoing 'that the vgear-wheels 3| have both an active and an idle movement clockwise, depending on Whethery or not their associated number-bearing plates have been previously manually actuated, and that their counter-clockwise movement is at all times an idle movement. Such results are obtainable due to the fact that the gear-Wheels are loosely mounted on the lower pivots or stub-shafts of the plates and have an effective movement only on the individually-actuated plates, because of the Stop-lugs ofeach plate having been moved into contact with the actuating-pins of the gear- Wheels. i

Where, in the appended claims, reference is made to a check-board for games or to numbers, it is not my intention to restrict the invention to such purpose or features, since this board may be enlarged for use commercially in various ways, and designationsother than numbers, such Aas names of individuals, cities,-towns, or other objects may be used as designating elements.v

It is, of course, apparent that under the basic principle involved in this invention many changes of arrangement and parts may be resorted to without sacricing any of the advantages of my in ention and Without departing from my invention as set out in the appended claims. f

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A checking device for games wherein identifying-characters are displayed to normally face in one direction, comprising a plurality of hori- Zontal series of character-bearing elements pivotally mounted and having gear-wheels co-aXial with thepivots of said character-bearing elements. said character-bearing elements being mounted to permit manual rotation thereof selectively in one direction independent of said gearwheels, a plurality of connected gear-racks in mesh with the gear-wheels of each horizontaly series of character-bearing elements, an actuator connected to each serieslof gear-racks, means for simultaneously operating said actuators toy cause vmovement of allfsaidgear-racksr and rotation of the' gear-Wheelsin `opposite directions and 'to cause reverse rotation of all selectively rotated character-bearing elements upon rotation of said gear-Wheels .in one direction, said means permitting idle rotationfofsaidgear-wheels in the opposite direction and leaving all non-rotated character-bearing elements undisturbed during the reverse rotative movement of all selectively rotated character-bearing elements.

2.' A checking device for games wherein identifying-characters are displayed to normally face in one direction, comprisinga plurality of horizontal rows of character-bearing elementspivotally' mounted and each having a gear-wheel co-aXial with its pivot, said character-bearing elements being mounted to permit rotation thereof selectively independent of said gear-wheels, a plurality of gear-rackassemblies in mesh with the gear-wheels of each horizontal roWof character-bearing elements, an actuating gear-rack connected to one end of each gear-rack assembly, a gear-wheelin mesh Vwith each actuating gear-rack, means to actua'tev said last-mentioned gear-wheels in unison to cause movement of the plurality of gear-rack assemblies and rotation of the gear-Wheels in mesh with said gear-rack assemblies, and means to cause reverse rotation of the selectively rotated character-bearingv elements when rotating said last-mentioned gear- Wheels in one direction, said means permitting idle rotation of said gear-wheels inthe opposite direction and having all non-rotated characterbearing elements undisturbed.

3. In combination, a frame, a number-plate having a number at one side thereof and pivote'lements at the opposite edges, means to journal said pivot-elements in said frame, a gear-Wheel loosely mounted on one of said pivot-elements and having a projection oil-center thereon, a depending lug on said plate off-center thereon normally lat-the side of the axis of said gear-wheel opposite said projection, said plate being manually movable to display thev number thereon at the. kopposite side of said frame and when so manun ally moved bringing said depending lug in contact with the projection on said gear-wheel, means to rotate said gear-wheel in one direction and cause the projection thereon to move the depending lug of said plate in'an arc of a circle and thereby reverse said plate to return the same to normal position, said gear-Wheely being idly movable in an opposite direction (to idly return the projection thereon to its normal position;

4, An apparatus of the kind described wherein different identifying-characters are vdisplayed in one direction, comprising a frame having a series of character-bearing plates pivotally mounted therein and each plate having its-characteron one side thereof, said plates being normally vpositioned to have said characters displayed Vat f a number thereon to the front of said frame and to move-the depending projection thereof into contact with vthe upstandingpinfof `its asso-i otally-mounted and having gear-wheels co-axial ciated gear-Wheel, and means to simultaneously i move said gear-Wheels in one direction and cause their upstanding pins and thedepending projections on the manually rotated plates to swing the latter through an arc of a circle in a reverse direction and to cause the numbers on said plates thus actuated to again face rearwardly, said means Ibeing operable in a reverse direction to cause opposite rotation of all gear-wheels and thus move the upstanding pins thereof out of engagement with the depending projections of all plates.

5. In an apparatus of the kind described, a frame, a horizontal series of pivotally-mounted plates Within said frame having numbers on one side thereof diifering each from the others, means for retaining said plates against accidental rotation so that the characters thereon normally face in one direction, said retaining-means yielding to force to permit each plate to be manually rotated individually so as to cause the number thereon to face in the opposite direction, each plate having a pivot at its upper and lower end journaled in said frame and a depending lug at its lower edge and at one side of the lower pivot thereof, a gear-Wheel loosely mounted on the lower pivot of each plate and having an upstanding pin normally located at the opposite side of said pivot, said depending lug being movable through an arc of a circle when individually rotating the plate from which it projects, and means for simultaneously rotating all gear-wheels in one direction to cause the upstanding pins of the gear-wheel associated with the manually rotated plates to move the depending lugs'of said plates in a reverse direction and thus return the plates to normal position and to thus cause the numbers thereon to again face rearwardly, all gear- Wheels of non-rotated plates rotating idly in synchronism with the gear-wheels of said man- Y ually-rotated plates without any effective action on said non-rotated plates.

6. A checking device for games wherein identifying characters are displayed to normally face in one direction, comprising a plurality of horizontal series of character-bearing elements pivwith the pivots thereof, means to. permit said character-bearing elements to be manually rotated selectively in one direction independent of said gear Wheels, a plurality of connected gearracks in mesh with the gear-wheels of each horizontal series of character-bearing elements, an

actuator connected to each series of saidgear-l racks, and means for simultaneously operatingv said actuators to cause movement of allv said gear-racks, operative rotation of the gear-wheels associated with all selectively rotated characterbearing elements and idle rotation of the gear wheels associated with all remaining characterbearing elements so as to leave said last-mentioned character-bearing elements undisturbed.

'1. A checking device for games wherein identifying characters are displayed to normally face in one direction,` comprising a plurality of horizontal rows of character-bearing elements pivotally mounted and each having a gear-Wheel co-axial with its pivot, means interposed between said gear-wheels and said character-bearing elements to permit rotation of the latter selectively in o ne direction independent of said gear-wheels, a plurality of gear-rack assemblies in mesh with the gear-wheels of each horizontal row of char..l acter-bearing elements, an actuating gear-rack connected to one end of each gear-rack assembly, a gear-wheel in mesh with each actuating gearrack, means to actuate said last-mentioned gearwheels in unison to cause movement of the plurality of gear-rackI assemblies and rotation of the gear wheels in mesh with said gear-rack as semblies, and means interposed between each of said first-mentioned gear-wheelsl and its associated character-bearing element to permit independent rotative movement of the latter in one direction and to cause all selectively-rotated character-bearing elements to be rotated in unison in an opposite direction'when said gearrack assemblies are actuated, said means permitting idle rotation of the gear-Wheels associated with the remaining character-bearing elements when said gear-rack assemblies are actuated.

WILLIAM C. DURKIN. 

